


Suddenly I'm Glad I Came

by Lapisceslazuli



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, High School AU, Human AU, Pining, Puppy Love, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:54:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22453741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapisceslazuli/pseuds/Lapisceslazuli
Summary: Steven starts a new high school and falls for a cute girl.After school, he gets in trouble with the delinquent leader of a local girl gang and becomes her mortal enemy.Now that he thinks about it, the two seem kind of similar...
Relationships: Spinel/Steven Universe
Comments: 19
Kudos: 126





	1. New beginnings

Steven Quartz Universe is starting high school today. Well, technically, he started high school two years ago, but that was in Ocean Town High. Beach City, his hometown, was too small to home any of its own schools, so students had to bus between cities to get to school. When Steven’s dad, Greg DeMayo, started teaching music classes at Ocean Town High, they decided it would be better for Steven to transfer to the next town over, in order to avoid conflict of interest. He didn’t mind. His best friend Connie went to Empire High, and he was excited to finally share classes with her.

Steven had already finished with his morning routine – face washed, hair brushed, lunch packed. He threw on his pink varsity jacket, grabbed his protein shake, and headed for the door.

Or at least, he tried to. Before his hand could even graze the doorknob, he felt a tight grip on his arm that pulled him back until he was engulfed in a bear hug from behind.

“Ugh, Amethyst!” He groaned, shifting around so that he could wiggle out of the older girl’s grip. A single brown eye gleamed back at him, the other hidden by a heavy side-fringe. “Yo, Ste-man!” Amethyst grinned, “You were hopin’ to sneak out without saying goodbye, huh?!”

Amethyst was Steven’s cousin, but it felt more like she was his sister. She was seven years older than him, and they had grown up together, and even gone to the same schools – albeit not at the same time.

“What of it?” He ruffled her hair, unable to hide his smile. “If Pearl and Garnet knew I was already up and running out, they’d keep me here for another hour with their fussing. I can’t afford to be late on my first day!” Amethyst rolled her eyes, snorting. “I guess that makes sense,” she replied, glancing back over her shoulder to the hallway, where two bedroom doors were still closed shut. “Alright, go ahead and run, I won’t tell.”

“Thanks Ames. You’re a lifesaver. See ya after school.” Steven winked back at her before quickly sneaking out and shutting the door behind him. Garnet and Pearl were Steven’s aunts, but the way they fussed over him, you’d think they were his parents. Steven’s mom had died giving birth to him, and when Greg felt that he couldn’t afford to support his son on his own, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl took him in, raising him as their own so that Greg could work full-time at his car wash. Steven was grateful for everything they’d done for him, but he didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself by being late. He’d be drawing enough attention as the new kid.

The drive to Empire High took almost twenty minutes. Steven parked his trusty Dondai as close as he possibly could to the front entrance, and whipped out his phone.

**S: Hey, I just pulled up. WYA? -7:59**

**C: Steven!!!! Omg ok wait for me at the billboard by the entrance k? getting off the bus now -7:59**

**S: which billboard -7:59**

**C: where the clubs are advertised -8:00**

**Connie is typing…**

Steven lifted his head, looking around at his surroundings. Empire High was pretty big. He had originally intended to continue his music studies from where he left off at Ocean Town High, but maybe he should broaden his horizons, try something new? He headed over to the billboards, noting a group of girls huddled around a poster about cheerleader tryouts. He stood on his tiptoes, attempting to read the club names over their heads. Football, Robotics, Chemistry…

One of the girls stepped back and Steven found himself stumbling backwards, knocking into another person behind him. A stack of papers went flying. Yelps and gasps filled the air, and all eyes were focused on him.

“O-Ohhh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I’m – here, let me help you – I’m so sorry,” He sputtered, scrambling to his knees. He reached for a scattered stack of paper, and at the same time, a gentle hand rested on his, in an attempt to pick up the pages as well. Steven felt his heart stop. He looked up, feeling his mouth dry up as the girl in front of him blinked back at him with wide doe-eyes. She looked like she was too young to be in high school. Or maybe it was just the way she was dressed, a white blouse with puffy sleeves, and a frilly pink skirt. Her hair was dyed a dark pink, but her roots showed that its origin was chestnut brown, like her eyes. It was pulled into a tight bun on each side of her head, held in place with elastics garnished with fluffy pink pom-poms. The hand on top of his was soft, her nails painted baby pink, and it took Steven a full minute to realize that he was staring. The girl didn’t seem upset, though. She smiled up at him, her cheeks pink and rosy. “Hi!” She chirped, unbothered by Steven’s slack jaw and his hand under hers. “I’ve never seen you ‘round here before! Are you new?”

“Uhh, I’m, uhh.” He found himself at a loss for words, and the strange girl tilted her head, giggling at him. “Cute…”

“You’re… cute?” She urged, and Steven flushed. “U-Uhhh, I mean, you’re cute! I MEAN, NO!” He burst into nervous laughter. “Steven! I’m Steven.”

“Nice to meetcha, Steven!” The girl extended her hand, and Steven shook it. “The name’s Spinel!’  
“N-Nice to meet you, Spinel.” Steven shook her hand, and suddenly registered they were both still on the floor. “Oh, no, I made you drop all of your flyers… Here, let me – “ He scooped up a pile and handed it back to Spinel, but not before his eyes roamed the brightly colored letters. “Drama club?”

“Yeah! I’m in charge of recruitin’.” Spinel grinned, and held up a flyer. It was a photo of two girls embraced on a stage, surrounded by flowers. Must have been from an old play. “You should come to tryouts, Steven! Here, take one.” She rolled up one of the flyers and handed it to him. Steven took it from her, feeling his heart skip when their fingers brushed. He tucked it into his duffel bag and grinned sheepishly. “I’ll try,” he promised, and Spinel grinned back at him. She scrambled to her feet, stuck one of the flyers onto the billboard, and turned on her heel. “See ya ‘round, Steven!” She waved back at him before walking into the school building. Steven found himself staring after her, long after she disappeared. He was only jolted back into reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see Connie. “Steven!” She cheered, squeezing him in a tight hug. “Why’d you stop answering suddenly, you goofball! I’m so excited we’re finally going to be going to the same school together!” With the excitement of being reunited with his best friend, Steven pushed Spinel to the back of his mind. He followed Connie while she gave him a quick tour of the school before class started. She showed him the club rooms, and when they passed by the theater, Steven thought he saw the pink-haired girl with her back to the club door, hanging up another flyer.

Maybe after school he’d go check it out.


	2. Tryouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven makes some new friends.

“Say, Connie…”

“Hm?” The other girl looked up at him with a mouth full of sandwich. It was lunchtime, and the two were sitting at a round table towards the entrance of the cafeteria. Steven’s first two classes – History and English Literature – had been a breeze, and the other students seemed to be friendly. Connie was waiting outside his class door when he had finished, and shown him the way to the cafeteria, including a brief summary of which foods to avoid (Thursday’s ‘Mystery Meat’ was first on the list). Steven had brought his lunch from home today, since he hadn’t yet arranged cafeteria payments for the year.

“Are you in any clubs?” Steven poked his lunch around his lunchbox with his fork, much like he was circling around the subject at hand. Connie shook her head and swallowed her mouthful. “My mom wanted me to join the Chemistry club.” She snorted, as if the very idea itself was baffling. “But I was thinking of joining the Astronomy club. I just think space is super neat. What about you?”

Steven raised a fork full of creamed spinach to his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “I was thinking about trying out for the Drama club,” he mumbled, so softly that Connie could barely hear him. She hummed, pausing to take a sip from her juice box. She looked like she was imagining him on stage in her mind. “Drama club, huh? What made you want to switch from Music?”

“J-Just… thought about trying something new,” he lied. Connie seemed to believe him, then discarded the subject entirely as she caught sight of something behind him. “Hey! Peri, Laz! Over here!” She waved. Steven didn’t even have time to turn around before two girls sat opposite them. One of them was shorter than Steven himself, with messy blonde hair that fell just below her ears and glasses that covered most of her pale face. The second girl had a dyed blue bob hairstyle and lightly tanned skin. She wore a blue tracksuit adorned with the words **EMPIRE HIGH SWIM TEAM** with a dolphin bust illustrated beneath. He guessed it must be the school’s mascot.

“Steven! This is Lapis and this is Peridot. They’re in my class.” Connie gestured to him. “This is Steven Universe! We met when my dad was posted over in Beach City!”

Lapis gave him a curt nod. Peridot compensated for Lapis’ lack of enthusiasm by shaking his extended hand vigorously. “Nice to meet you, Steven! Welcome to Empire High!”

“Haha, thanks!” Steven grinned back at her. He was worried that he wouldn’t fit in right away, but here he was on his first day, already making new friends.

“Lapis is captain of the swim team,” Connie explained, gesturing at the stoic girl. Before he could stop himself, Steven gave her a cheesy salute. “Aye aye, Cap’n!” All three girls stared at him blankly, and Steven felt his cheeks heat up. Before he could apologize for his goofy outburst, Lapis snorted, then burst out laughing. Connie and Peridot stared, confused, as Lapis wiped away a tear from laughing so hard. “That was funny. You’re a funny guy, Steven.”

“Would you say he’s… Drama club material?” Connie urged, wiggling her eyebrows. Peridot looked disappointed. “It’s your first day and you’ve already made up your mind? But I haven’t made my case for the Robotics club yet!” She whined.

“Whoa, whoa, I-I haven’t made up any mind about anything yet! I’m just…” His words trailed to a halt as a familiar face walked by their table and over to the cafeteria notice board. Spinel stood on her tiptoes, pinning another flyer advertising the Drama club onto the board. When she turned around to head out, she caught sight of Steven, and gave him a sweet smile before picking up her bag and walking out. The three girls followed his gaze, then snapped back to him, causing him to sink in his seat.

“Just thought about _trying something new_ , huh?” Connie teased, her voice light and playful. Peridot groaned, rubbing her temple as though she had a headache. “I knew it,” she muttered, “She’s got all the guys heading straight for the Drama club. That’s high school guys for ya! They’ve all got balls for brains!” She whirled on Lapis, tugging at the sleeve of her tracksuit jacket. “Lapis! Help me advertise the Robotics club! I’ve got the perfect outfit for you to wear, and it’s only slightly demeaning!”

“No.” The taller girl deadpanned, her smile unwavering. It made Steven uneasy.

“I-It isn’t like that,” he tried to defend his honor, hands waving in front of his face. “I don’t even know Spinel!”

Three pairs of eyebrows raised at him, unimpressed. Steven realized he had just dug his own grave.

“Drama and music are pretty similar,” he continued, trying his best to weasel his way out of this embarrassing situation he’d gotten himself into. “And yeah, maybe Spinel opened my eyes to it, but I really think I could be good at it! I’m just going to tryouts, I haven’t decided on anything for sure.”

“She opened something, alright.” Peridot muttered under her breath. Steven felt uncomfortable. “Do… you guys not like her or anything?”

“Peridot’s just jealous.” Lapis ruffled the shorter girl’s hair, ignoring the string of swear words hurled her way. “Spinel is okay. Very typical preppy chick. She used to be on the gymnastics team, but last year she made the switch to the Drama club. School board was devastated, she was their star gymnast.”

“What made her switch?” Connie asked, intrigued. Lapis shrugged. “No one knows. One day she just decided to quit, and by the next weekend, she had snatched the lead role for the end-of-year play from right under Paulette’s nose. Poor girl was heartbroken.” She leaned back, taking a sip from her soda can. “It’s not her fault, though. She really is a spectacular actor. She’s even got them doing musicals now.”

Peridot folded her arms on top of the table, sulking. “I dunno. I don’t buy it. Her whole ‘cute’ act… who does that?” she cupped her own cheeks, batting her eyelashes, and cooed. “Why, golly, if it ain’t Steven Univoise! How ‘bout it, Dollface? Wanna ditch that ole gosh-darned Robotics club and join me in the Drama club?”

“Why does she sound southern?” Connie scoffed. “Also, Steven wasn’t interested in the Robotics club from the start, so just let it go.”

Steven wasn’t listening. He was too busy imagining Spinel, batting her eyelashes at him, calling him ‘dollface’. Did she really talk like that? That’s adorable.

“You’re wasting precious lunchtime,” Lapis interrupted his daydreaming, and gestured to her digital wristwatch. There were only five minutes left until the next bell rang, which meant everyone had quieted down to finish scarfing down their lunch. Steven was grateful for the interruption. He felt he’d been teased enough for the day.

After lunch, he had Algebra class with Connie. They bid Lapis and Peridot goodbye, and hurried down the long hallway, hoping to be early enough to snag a pair of seats at the back. Sitting next to Connie at their desks, catching up and giggling about inside jokes, it felt like he was a kid again. He was so glad he decided to make the switch. Back at Ocean Town High, everyone knew him – they knew him as Greg’s kid, as Amethyst’s little cousin, as Rose’s little boy. He got tired of trying to live up to everyone’s expectation of who he was meant to be. He was glad for a chance to start over, in a new school where nobody knew him, nobody expected anything of him. It was refreshing.

The school day was over before he realized it. Connie walked him down to the theater, where a group of students was already huddled at the entrance. “Are you really going to try out?” She asked him. Steven hesitated. He was starting to feel a bit nervous. For all his talk, he hadn’t actually acted before. But singing and playing an instrument onstage was some kind of performance art, wasn’t it? He was already halfway there. Before he could reply, he heard his name being called.

“Steven, you came!” Spinel emerged from the gaggle of students crowded at the door. Several male students eyed her as she walked past them, causing Steven to feel a twinge of irritation that quickly vanished when she stopped in front of him, her hands clasped together. “Oh, hiya Connie! Are you here ta try out as well?”

“O-Oh, no, I’m just here to offer Steven moral support.” Connie laughed nervously. Spinel beamed, letting out a soft giggle. “That’s mighty swell of ya! Come on, this way!” She led them past the crowd and into the dark theater. A man in his mid-twenties stood before the stage, holding a clipboard. Despite the fact that he was indoors, he was wearing sunglasses with the words **MOVIE STAR** printed on them. When they approached him, he peered at them, then removed them completely. “What a turnout!” He exclaimed excitedly. “I haven’t seen this many students in the theater since they held that rave here!”

“Professa Jamie! This is Steven! He’s a new Junior student, he wants ta try out!” Spinel tugged Steven closer by his hand, and he thanked the stars that it was too dark to see how red his face was getting. Professor Jamie, as Spinel called him, clapped his hands together, looking absolutely thrilled. “Certainly, certainly! Tell me, young Steven, you play any instruments?”

“I, uh, ubuh,” Steven’s brain was still short-circuiting due to Spinel’s intent gaze, so Connie stepped in for him. “He transferred from Ocean Town High,” she explained. “He was in the music club.”

“Y-Yeah,” He finally found his voice. “I play the ukulele, mostly… sometimes guitar… sometimes the piano… and I uh… I sing…”

“Singing! Why, that’s perfect! We’re long due for a musical show!” Jamie placed both hands on Steven’s shoulders, steering him around towards the stage. “I’m pretty sure we have a ukulele around here somewhere, so I want to see what you’re working with! What do you say?”

Steven swallowed nervously. Connie held both thumbs up, shooting him an encouraging grin. He was still unsure about the situation, but then he turned his gaze over to Spinel, who was watching him intently. He remembered why he came down to the theater in the first place.

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed, and Jamie and Spinel let out joyous cheers. “Hold tight! I’ll be right back!” The young professor disappeared behind the curtain, and Steven heard the faint _thud_ s of boxes and cases being moved around. Less than a minute later, he returned with an old ukulele in hand. He handed it to Steven, who turned it over in his hands, examining it. It wasn’t his ukulele, but it would do.

He spent the next few minutes tuning it until he was satisfied, then sat back on the edge of the stage. He was suddenly hyper aware of the three pairs of eyes watching him attentively. “Um,” he began, feeling flustered all of a sudden, “This is just a little something I wrote over the summer.” Jamie nodded at him, sitting down in the first row of seats. Spinel sat beside him, with Connie following suit. Steven took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. _It’s like a concert,_ he calmed himself, and strummed the strings. When he was satisfied with the rhythm he had going, he began to sing.

“ _I don’t need you to respect me, I respect me._ ” Strum strum. “ _I don’t need you to love me, I love me._ ” He kept his eyes on his hands, feeling self conscious. “ _But I want you to know you could know me, if you change your mind.”_ The melody flowed out of him, like he had practiced so many times when he sat alone by the beach. “ _If you change your mind._ ” The theater was oddly quiet. Even the students outside had scattered. “ _If you change your mi~ind. Change your mind.”_

He played the ending notes. The silence didn’t last for long. Jamie, Spinel and Connie were all applauding him, the former seeming especially thrilled. “Bravissimo! That was amazing, Steven! Welcome aboard!”

“Heh. Was it really that good?” Steven rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. Connie grinned at him, and when he glanced over at Spinel, she was still gazing at him intently, and it felt for a moment as if she could see right through him. His brief panic evaporated when she hopped up out of her seat, cheering. “Yippee! This is gonna be so much fun!”

Steven found her laughter contagious. Today, right here, right now, he felt pretty darn good. This was going to be the best first year of high school he’s ever had.


	3. Heartbreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A walk on the boardwalk doesn't turn out as planned.

The next couple of days flew by easily. Steven spent his mornings putting all of his efforts into his classes, his lunch breaks with his new friends, and his afternoons at his new club. He had to admit, although he had had his misgivings at first, being in the Drama club was much more fun than he thought it would be. He expected it to be like in the movies - angsty scenes, fighting over roles, ending up a sentient tree in the background. Instead, they had many team-building exercises, played games, practiced improv, and even got some reading assignments to take home. Throughout the many hours spent in the dark theater, Steven's innocent little crush continued to bloom. During one improv session, Spinel introduced herself as his wife, and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest as she clung to his arm. It was hard to focus on the rest of the scene after that, and the rest of the students teased him good-naturedly about it until the club session ended. On his way out of the room, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Spinel smiling at him.

"Heya, Steven!" She let go of his shoulder to fiddle with the hem of her skirt instead. "I'm gonna be absent next session, and Professa Jamie hea' says there's gonna be some readin' material…. Any chance you could text me the homework?" 

"Text… you?" He repeated, heartbeat quickening. "O-Of course!"

"Well, ain't you a doll!" She grinned at him, and stretched out her open palm. "Hea', gimme your phone, I'll put my number in."

He handed it over, watching curiously as she tapped a combination of numbers on his phone and gave it back, her grin unwavering.

"See ya next week, Steven!" she walked around him and out of the theater with a wave goodbye. Steven waved back, dumbstruck. He looked down at the screen of his phone, where Spinel had registered her number under a new contact:

🖤Spinny🖤

Steven went home that day feeling light as air.

Friday came by, and Steven awoke feeling refreshed. It was the first weekend of the school year, and he had made plans with Connie, Lapis, and Peridot to walk around the Beach City boardwalk that evening. "You should invite Spinel," Connie's voice rang in his head, an echo of last night's conversation. Steven remembers shaking his head, face red. "No way," he'd stuttered in reply, "I'm not confident enough to do that yet!"

"What's the fuss?" Lapis had retorted, popping a bubble of gum. "It's not a date. Just a friendly hang with a group of friends."

They had let it go then, once Steven had promised to sleep on it. And now that he had, he was feeling a little braver. He reached over for his phone. 9 AM. Not too early so as to seem desperate, but not so late that she'd seem like an afterthought. He scrolled around his contact list and pulled up the contact that Spinel had made for herself. Their chat log was empty. Her contact photo was what he assumed was an older picture of her, judging by her brown hair. She was clad in a dark pink leotard, swinging from a beam. The banners in the background hinted at some sort of competition. Steven was suddenly hyper-aware of his own contact photo - a close up of him kissing his cat, Lion, on the cheek - and fumbled with the idea of changing it. Lion glared at him from where he was sprawled at Steven's feet, as though he could read his mind. He shook his head. It's not like he had a better picture to switch to anyway… He was usually the one taking the photos, and all he had were selfies of him with his friends. 

Steven took a deep breath, his finger hovering over his phone's keyboard. He could do it. It wasn't a date. Just a friendly hang with some friendly friends. He'd probably just keep it casual, y'know? Wear one of his dad's old  _ Mr. Universe _ T-shirts. It was warm out, so he wouldn't need a jacket. And maybe Spinel would wear that cute little sundress she had on for their first Drama club meet of the year. It was light pink and patterned with little blue forget-me-nots. They could go on the roller coaster in Funland together, and if she was scared, she could hang onto him. The others would probably tease them. Spinel would probably laugh along, then turn to bat her eyelashes at him, making his legs feel like jell-o. After, he'd buy her some cotton candy - cause it was sweet, like her. And maybe he'd get some on his face. Maybe she'd laugh at him, hold his face in her hands so she could inspect the damage. Then they'd gaze into each other's eyes. She'd lose confidence suddenly, but that's okay, because he would brave up and make the first move, leaning down to ki-

No no no no no! He was getting carried away again. Steven fell back onto his pillow with a groan. "Why is this so hard, Lion?" he asked. Lion's ear gave an annoyed flick, signaling his disinterest. "I just gotta man up, right? Just gotta be casual. I can do it." He took a deep breath, and quickly typed out a message, his finger flying over the keyboard in a blur. "Hey Spinel… Some of us hanging tonight, wanna join?" he read aloud as he typed, and sent the message before he could regret it. "Oh man, oh man, I did it." He felt elated. With a jolt of excitement, he realized that Spinel's status was currently online. "Oh man, Lion, she read it! What do you think she's gonna say?"

Lion growled deep in his throat and hopped off of Steven's bed. Too much noise for his cat nap, Steven guessed. But he couldn't help himself. He had actually asked out a girl for the first time! Well, kind of. 

Steven's phone dinged, and he nearly dropped it in surprise. He hadn't expected her to text back quite so quickly. 

**♡Spinny♡: Oh man, Stevie, I'd love to! - 9:09**

**♡Spinny♡: But I can't :( :( :( - 9:09**

**♡Spinny♡: I'm going out for dinner with my parents tonight - 9:10**

**♡Spinny♡: But I really appreciate the invite!! - 9:10**

Steven's heart sank. Ah, well. He should have known not everyone would be free on a Friday night. He typed back a message.

**Steven: Oh, that's too bad… Next time though? - 9:11**

**♡Spinny♡: Yea!! Next time!! :) - 9:12**

She seemed sincere enough. And hey, at least they were texting! It was a start. And he had to start somewhere, right?

Feeling optimistic, he put Spinel to the back of his mind, and got up to start his day. No use wasting a Friday in bed.

  
  


Later that evening, Steven stood at the Beach City bus stop, waiting for Connie. They'd planned to meet Lapis and Peridot at the boardwalk, but Connie still wasn't so sure of her way around Beach City, so Steven told her he'd pick her up and they'd walk down together. He checked his watch, then looked up at the bus schedule. Seemed her bus still had another twenty minutes or so until it arrived. Steven was feeling pretty hungry. Maybe he'd go grab a donut while he waited. He was sure Connie would appreciate a bear claw, too. Plus, the Big Donut was right down the path from the bus stop. Having made up his mind, Steven turned on his heel and walked back down the path. He could see the dimly lit windows already - Lars and Sadie must be getting ready to close up.

Which donut should he get? He usually got a frosted one, with sprinkles. Should he go for a jam-filled one today? Maybe a plain glazed? He was so lost in thought of donuts that he didn't realize he'd passed the Big Donut already. He turned his head, realizing his mistake, but before his body could react, he knocked into someone.

"Hey!" A wild, feminine voice snarled at him, and he whirled back around just in time to see chestnut-brown eyes and a fist in his face. Steven staggered back from the punch, falling flat on his butt with a startled yelp. The girl he'd knocked into now towered over him, looking angrier than he'd ever seen anyone look at him before. Her hair was dyed a dark pink - popular color these days, he guessed - and pulled into two high side-ponytails, frizzled and messy. Her eyes were nearly hidden under a layer of black eyeshadow, some of it even leaking down her cheeks. She wore a skin-tight cropped tank that showed off her toned stomach, complete with a pink studded navel piercing, and torn jean shorts. Also black combat boots, he realized, as one booted foot raised to keep him pinned to the floor.

From where he lay, sprawled on the asphalt, he could make out three other girls standing behind the mystery girl. One had a short, spiky blonde cut - the other, a light blue bob with a fringe that fell past her eyes - and the third, pink hair pulled into two side-buns. They all wore ripped jeans and tight tanks, and snickered amongst themselves as their "queen bee" leaned down to grab a handful of his T-shirt and sneer in his face.

"Watch where you're going, Toots!" she spat. Steven flinched. He had felt apologetic at first, but the way the girl had overreacted - plus the aching pain building over his right eye - made all rational thought fly out the window. He grabbed the girl's hand, forcing her off of him. "It was an accident!" He snarled back. "There was no need to get violent!"

He pulled himself to his feet as the girl took a step back, raking her eyes up and down his form. Steven could have sworn he saw a flash of recognition in her eyes - regret, even? - but it was gone before he could be sure, and she threw back her head and laughed. Her entourage joined in, their shrill voices echoing in the empty street. "Ya hear that, girls? Captain America over hea' feeling mighty! Whaddaya say, Yellow?" Mystery Girl gestured to the petite blonde, her grin unwavering. "Think thea's no need to get violent?"

The blonde - Yellow, she'd called her - smirked down at him. "You obviously don't know her," she goaded, folding her arms. "They call her Heartbreaker, and not just cause she turns down all the boys."

Steven felt his mouth dry up. He'd heard rumors of gangs and  _ bad crowds _ , but he didn't think he'd ever actually run into them. Literally.

"L-look," he stuttered, "I don't want any trouble."

"That's too bad." 'Heartbreaker' cracked her knuckles, her grin unwavering. "There's quite a lot of it ta go around."

Steven was not proud of what he did next. He turned on his heel and ran. Forget donuts, forget dignity. He wasn't about to get into a gang fight, let alone with a  _ girl gang _ . He could hear them cackling maniacally behind him, their laughter fading away as he neared the bus stop. Connie was standing there, waiting for him. She looked up in alarm as he teetered to a halt, breathing heavily. "Steven!" she exclaimed, noticing his black eye. "What the heck happened to you?!"

He told her about the girl gang, and her eyes widened. "Gosh, that's so cruel of them! Does it hurt?" Steven flinched, and gave a curt nod. "Come on, let's go get you some ice for your eye." Connie grabbed his hand and pulled him along, her other hand working furiously to text Lapis and Peridot about the change in plans. Steven looked back over his shoulder, his mind clouding over with the image of 'Heartbreaker' fresh in his mind. 

Was it just him…

or had he seen her somewhere before?


	4. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven sort-of asks Spinel on a sort-of date and they're both sort-of adorable.

Steven spent Saturday in bed, with his eye throbbing painfully and his head full of reruns from last nights’ events.

_“What did she say her name was?” Lapis leaned against the wooden picnic table, surveying the damage while Connie kneeled in front of Steven, pressing a bag of ice against his swollen eyelid. He hissed a bit at the sensation, but forced himself to stay still. “’Heartbreaker’,” he muttered. Lapis snorted. “What is this, Grease? What kind of name is that?”_

_“A gang name, that’s what!” Peridot looked panicked. “And there’s only one girl gang I’ve heard of in Beach City, and if Heartbreaker’s in it, then that’s bad news!”_

_“Why? What do you know about Heartbreaker?” Connie let Steven hold the ice on his own and sat down next to him, looking up to where the petite blonde was sitting on the table with her feet on the bench. They’d stopped at Fish Stew Pizza to grab a slice and a drink, abandoning their original plan of walking down the boardwalk in favor of treating Steven’s black eye and discussing his run-in with the gang._

_Peridot pushed her large glasses up her nose. “Apparently, there’s a group of delinquent high school girls who wreak havoc around the city after dark. I’ve heard they even steal cars.”_

_“’Wreak havoc’? Why are you making them sound like supervillains? They’re just a bunch of brats with no curfew.” Lapis balled her hand into a fist and pounded it into her palm. “Let’s teach them a lesson.”_

_“Violence is never the answer.” Steven discarded of the melted ice-packet, craning his neck back and closing his eyes. The cool breeze felt soothing on the ice-cold skin of his black eye. “If I run into them again, I’ll get my point across.”_

_“You’d be better off staying out of their way. Especially their leader. They call her ‘Heartbreaker’ because no one knows her real name. They don’t even know what school she goes to.” Peridot rambled. “One day she just showed up with those three goons of hers and formed a gang! None of us had even heard of her before!”_

_Steven opened his eyes, staring up at the star-strewn sky. He still couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he’d seen her before._

“Oh,” he groaned, holding his head as a particularly painful throb shook him out of his thoughts. He turned to grab his phone off his nightstand and glanced at the time. 12 PM. He’d slept in, for once.

“Steven!” Pearl’s voice echoed from downstairs. “Are you up? I’m making French toast!”

“Coming!” He called back, his voice raspy with sleep. He pushed Heartbreaker to the back of his mind and crawled out of bed.

Pearl nearly dropped the plate she was holding when she saw him set foot in the kitchen. “Goodness, Steven, your eye! What happened?!” She set the plate on the counter with a loud clatter and rushed to inspect his face.

“It’s nothing,” he protested, shying away from her and taking a seat at the counter. “I tripped and fell on my face last night while we walked down the boardwalk.” He almost felt guilty about how easily the lie slipped out his mouth. “It was pretty embarrassing, so I’d rather not talk about it anymore. And yes, I put ice on it,” he mumbled before Pearl could object. She bit her lip, worried, but not wanting to press the matter any further. Garnet sat across from him, her eyes hidden by her large sunglasses, as usual. Steven glanced up at her, unable to tell if she was even looking at him. She was always so mysterious, it was hard to read her. It was even harder to hide things from her. He wasn’t sure if she bought his lie or not, but she just chewed her French toast silently, and Steven decided not to press it. The three of them sat in silence, eating their breakfast. From somewhere upstairs, he could hear Lion scratching at one of the doors, yowling loudly to be let in. Amethyst must still be asleep, and like most cats, Lion couldn’t bear to see a door he couldn’t enter.

“I’m going out,” he announced suddenly, dropping his fork on his half-eaten plate of breakfast and carrying it over to the sink. “Thanks for breakfast, Pearl. See ya later!” He didn’t let her protest, running back upstairs to get changed. He couldn’t bear to hang around a second longer, with Pearl’s worried glances and Garnet’s unnerving silence. He threw on a pair of jeans and a clean shirt, brushed his teeth hastily, and ran out, slamming the door behind him.

The warm sand crunched beneath Steven’s flip-flops as he marched down the shoreline. The area around his house was always deserted, with tourists and locals favoring the more inhabited beaches towards the city center. Normally he preferred the quiet. Right now, he felt he was drowning in it. At a loss, he pulled out his phone. No new messages. He couldn’t ask Connie to come by again – she got home rather late last night, and her parents weren’t too happy about it. Lapis was working the noon shift as a barista in one of Ocean Town’s cozy neighborhood cafes, he remembers her mentioning. Should he try Peridot?

While he mulled the thought over in his mind, his phone vibrated in his hands, and he nearly dropped it surprise. His screen lit up with a new notification, and Steven felt his breath catch in his throat as he caught sight of the name.

**♡** **Spinny** **♡** **: Steven?? – 13:17**

**♡** **Spinny** **♡** **: Listen… I’m really sorry about last night - 13:17**

Steven feels giddy. He pulls up the chat log and types back a reply before Spinel could worry her pretty little head off.

**Steven: Hey, it’s no biggie – 13:18**

**♡** **Spinny** **♡** **: what… Really? – 13:19**

**♡** **Spinny** **♡** **is typing…**

**Steven: Yeah! You were with your parents right? – 13:20**

**Steven: We can hang out next weekend, don’t feel bad – 13:20**

**♡** **Spinny** **♡** **is typing…**

**♡** **Spinny** **♡** **is online**

Steven held his phone up with baited breath, and when Spinel didn’t reply any further, he grinned and shoved it back in his jacket pocket. How sweet! She still felt bad about ditching them last night. So bad, that she even wrote to him the next day. Did this mean she liked him? Was it up to him to make the next move? He walked up the shore towards the boardwalk, lost in his daydreams, and any plans of texting Peridot to hang out had quickly left his mind.

Steven honestly couldn’t wait to get back to school. When Monday rolled by, he was up and dressed by 7 AM, and he left so early, not even Lion was up to see him out. He knew Spinel arrived very early in the mornings to help Professor Jamie set the theater up for the day before classes started, and he wanted to see her before any of the others could show up and tease him for it. As much as he appreciated and tolerated their good-natured jabs and jokes, he really did want to have more moments alone with Spinel, to muster up the courage to talk to her casually and eventually even ask her out without knowing glances and smirks sent his way.

He parked his Dondai as close as possible to the auditorium entrance and stepped out the car, taking a deep breath. Ocean Town or Beach City, it didn’t really make a difference. Both cities had a refreshing saltwater scent that calmed him down and made him feel at home. Feeling calmer already, he locked the car and made his way to the double oak doors.

 _Huh…. Weird._ They were locked. Steven pulled out his phone – 7:33 AM. Spinel and Professor Jamie were usually done setting up by now.

“Hey, Universe!” He felt the breath being knocked out of him by a heavy hand patting him on the back. “What’re you doing here so bright and early?” Professor Jamie walked past him and fumbled with the auditorium keys, unlocking both doors and pushing them open. “Nothing,” Steven wheezed back, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Is Spinel not in yet?”

“Not quite yet, my little Romeo,” Jamie winks at him, and Steven feels his face flush. Was he that obtuse? Did everyone just see through him? “She doesn’t usually come through early on Monday mornings. Pretty sure the little lady goes out partying all weekend. But hey, no judgement here!” The professor sighs longingly, looking up at the stage. “Ah, to be young again.”

Steven decides against pointing out that Jamie wasn’t that much older than a college graduate, and instead focuses on the first part of his sentence. Partying all weekend? Spinel? There’s no way. He tries to imagine it – Spinel, clad in clothes that aren’t pink and poofy, her hair down and her eyelids heavy with eyeshadow. Spinel, participating in underage drinking, red polo cup in hand, swaying her hips to some repetitive beat and batting her lashes at frat boys. The idea is so impossible, so implausible, and it makes his blood boil. Not his Spinel. She probably stayed up late doing homework or feeding stray cats. Something innocent and cute, like her. He’s torn out of his thoughts by a tinkling sound, and he turns to see Spinel – the real Spinel – waving at him from the parking lot. She’s holding onto the handlebars of a slim pink bicycle, ringing its little bell to get his attention. He approaches her, and she unbuckles her helmet and pulls it off, shaking her messy buns out. Of course she rode a little pink bike to school. That was more like the Spinel he knew.

“Stevie! Whatcha doing here so early?” She finishes trying her bike to the railing and looks up at him, and her smile fades to a look of shock, one hand coming up to cover her gasp. Steven shuffles awkwardly. He’d forgotten about his black eye. “Oh, this? Heh, it’s uh… it’s nothing.” He rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. He doesn’t want to bring up Heartbreaker, or the girl gang, so he lies again. “Just, uh, played a little rough by the beach, wasn’t watching where I was going, hehe…”

Spinel wrings her hands, looking pained. “Stevie, I’m… I’m so sorry…”

“Hey, what? What are you sorry for?” Steven stutters, feeling his cheeks heat up. _She’s worried about me. That’s adorable. I think I really have a chance with her._

Spinel stiffens, and now she’s the one that’s blushing, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “I-I – I – I mean obviously, ya know, I’m not sorry about – I mean, I am! But it’s not like I punched ya myself or somethin’! Haha!” She stutters nervously. “Or, I mean, ya didn’t get punched, duh! Ya just said ya fell, didn’tcha? Ya silly goose! Not that I’m blamin’ ya for fallin’ or anythin’ - “

“Hey, hey! It’s okay,” he interrupts before Spinel starts hyperventilating. She looks on the verge of tears. “I’m fine, really! It doesn’t hurt at all.” Anymore. “Hey, we’ve got some time before first period, you wanna grab a coffee?”

She seems relieved, and nods, a smile slowly making its way back onto her face. Steven grins back at her, and holds out his hand. She takes it.

Steven sits across from Spinel at the cafeteria, watching her expression as she scrolls through her phone. He can’t get over the way her nose scrunches when she concentrates on reading the group texts from the Drama club, or how the corners of her lips quirk up when she reads something she finds amusing. She takes a sip of her coffee – a milky, frothy cappuccino with more sugar packets than Steven felt comfortable counting – and looks up at him, grinning under a mustache of milk foam. He laughs, and she giggles along, accepting the napkin he hands her and dabbing at her mouth.

“You looked like Professor Mackey from English lit there for a second,” he jokes, and she scoffs at him, sitting up in her seat to seem a few inches taller. “Now then, Universe, that’s a write-up for insultin’ a lady during my lesson, m’kay?” She drawls, lowering the pitch of her voice to add to her imitation of the old Southern professor. Steven nearly chokes on his hot chocolate, and they share another laugh. He wishes first period would never come. Over the top of her head, he catches sight of Peridot, watching them both with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Lapis reaches out and pulls the shorter girl away, shooting Steven a thumbs up. He pretends not to see them, and his cheeks burn. Spinel’s giggles had faded to a comfortable silence, and she glances up at him through her lashes. She looks like she’s about to ask him something when the bell rings, and she nearly topples out of her seat in her haste to get up. “Oh, shoot! I gotta go change for PE! I’m sorry, Stevie! See ya at Drama?” Steven nods, watching with a pang of disappointment as she grabs her backpack in one hand and her coffee in the other. She smiles at him and takes off behind him, towards the gym. He turns to watch her leave, fighting the urge to rest his chin dreamily in his palm like a love-sick little girl. He needs to look on the bright side. This was basically their first sort-of date.

Wasn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah i made a south park reference sue me


End file.
